Unfilled Gaps
by TheHangingBracelet
Summary: Ever wondered what happened to all of Rowling's characters in between and after the story? Prepare to laugh, cry, and smile as you journey with Rowling's characters while they experience some of the most important moments of their lives through as series of one-shots. Canon with a few slips. Filling up the gaps in the Harry Potter universe!Read in any order.
1. The Black Sheep

A boy of around five or six years was quietly closing the door of his house, to the very few who would have been able to see, and quietly tiptoed his way down his porch. It wasnt very hard to guess that the boy wasn't eager to be seen as he quickly ran down the steps in front of his house. He emerged beyond the tree, in front, onto the street. He knew that his mother would be displeased if she found out that he had gone out without her.

The time was of around midday and the street was a quiet one. Usually, he was rarely allowed to mingle with the other kids on the street but that, in no way, manage to quench his curiousity to know what lay beyond the four walls of his house.

Boy, would Mother be angry.

After walking a short distance from his house, he casually stuck his hands into his pockets, and started to look at the houses beside him. There were tall and they looked the same as his but he knew something that made their houses different from his. His couldnt be seen by Muggles.

Muggles.

The name that his cousin Andy had said was for non-magical folk. And the word for witches and wizards who had non-magical parents was "mud blood". He knew that. Mum and Dad had told him themselves. They had also told him of how terrible non-magic people were and how equally terrible "mud bloods" were because they carried the same traits. They told him about all the horrible things that Muggles had done to witches and wizards centuries ago, and how he should always be careful around them.

As he saw a figure dart across the window of a house which had its curtains open, he shivered. He certainly would be miserable if he had been born a Muggle. The awful things that Dad said they did to their children kept him up at night. Thank Merlin that Sirius Black was a pure blood wizard, just like his parents.

Smiling at his apparent luck, the boy continued on his path, enjoying the air and forgetting the scary Muggle stories for the moment. He was so caught up in the carefree thoughts that only a child could have, that he didn't see the girl who was walking on the pavement towards him.

She was around the same age as the boy or perhaps younger and had brown hair which fell to her shoulders. She had a bright blue frock on and in her hair was a dashing ribbon of the same colour. She was clutching a teddy bear who was missing an eye.

As she saw the other boy walking along the path, she immediately raised her hand and waved a "Hi".

Mum had always taught her to be nice to other people. The boy was startled from his thoughts and momentarily looked around to find the person who had called out to him. As soon as he spotted the little girl, he promptly fled to a nearby tree and hid behind it.

The girl was dismayed and stopped walking. Mum would have said that the boy was being extremely rude. Or maybe would have said that the boy was shy. That's what she usually said when someone didn't want to talk much.

After hesitating for a moment, she called out, " I can see you!".

Sirius peeked out of the tree and immediately put his head back when he saw that the girl was still there.

The girl frowned at the lack of response but her face instantly lit up on a thought.

"Oh!", she squealed. "I know what game this is! It's Hide and Seek!". She immediately started giggling and ran to the other side of the tree to catch the boy.

Sirius started to run. He didn't want to be caught by this Muggle girl. She might do something bad to him. And so he ran as fast as he could. He ran and the girl chased laughing for about the next five minutes and soon, despite himself, the boy started to laugh as well. This was fun. It was the same game that he, Andy, and Bella used to play when they met together. Cissy was too young to play and Bella would always cheat by hiding in the bathroom with the door locked so it was only he and Andy who used to play proper. Bella was such a spoilsport.

After a few minutes, the girl got tired and plopped onto the grass, declaring "Im tired. I want to sit." Sirius was panting, too, by this time but was unsure of what to do now.

"Sit down with me"

This Muggle girl certainly seemed to be harmless. There couldn't possibly be anything in sitting down next to her.

"What's your name?", she asked.

"Sirius", he replied.

"I'm Amelia. But everyone calls me Ellie. Why didn't you say hi to me at first?", she asked, curious.

"Mum says that I shouldn't talk to non-magic people", Sirius replied, unsure of whether he was insulting her. Could Muggles be insulted? He wasn't sure if Muggles had feelings. Andy always said that you should never hurt someone's feelings.

"Non-magic people?", she asked confused. "Magic doesn't exist...that's what my Mum told me", replied Ellie.

Sirius wondered how much trouble he would get in if his Mother found out he was talking to a Muggle girl. But she was small, he told himself. Mum and Dad only tell stories about the big ones, he tried to assure himself.

"That's not true", he insisted. "I have magic", he claimed.

The girls widened to the size of saucers. Then she started to look worried. "You're lying. Mum says that there's no such as magic and Mum also says that only really bad people lie." She started to get up and go, obviously trying to get away from the "bad boy".

Sirius held her hand before she could leave. He didn't want the girl to go. He didn't have any friends his own age and this girl seemed nice enough for a Muggle. Maybe not all Muggles were as bad as Mum and Dad had told him.

"I can prove it", he offered and made her stop. He took a leaf in his hand and adopted a look of great concentration. A second later, the leaf levitated into the air. The girl, awestruck, dropped her stuffed bear to enthusiastically clap in excitement.

"Do it again! Do it again!", she requested and he willingly obliged.

"Does everybody in your family do magic? Are you like the fairy godmother in Cinderella?"

"Well, my Mum and Dad can do it. And I think my little brother, Reg, can do it, I can't say for sure though, he's still a baby. And who is Cinderella?", he asked confused.

"You don't know who Cinderella is?", the girl appeared confused but then continued, "Can you teach me how to do magic?", Ellie asked eagerly.

Sirius thought for a moment and then said, "I don't think so. Mum and Dad say you have to be born a wizard."

The disappointment was evident in her face. "Oh", she said softly. "Do you have to wash dishes in your house or do you do it by magic? My brother, Jon, hates washing dishes. He always says that he wishes that they could clean themselves."

Sirius looked confused. "You mean you have to wash your dishes? Your house-elf doesn't do it?"

"What's a house- yelf?, she asked, testing the new word on her tongue.

"You don't know what a house-elf is?"

"Do you mean a dishwasher? Mum says that we can get one next year. Jon says that he won't ever have to wash dishes again because the dishwasher will do it instead".

"A dishwasher? What's that? Oh, maybe that's the Muggle name for house-elf. Come, I'll let you meet our 'dishwasher', he's named Kreacher."

The girl started laughing. "That's a funny name!", she said. "I want to meet him."

Sirius took her hand and started to lead her towards his home.

He thought that she was really pretty. He liked her ribbon a lot. Maybe this was what Andy called 'love' was. She was always talking about it. She always said that she would find a boy that he loved and marry him even if he was a Muggle. When Sirius had heard that, he had begged her not to do that. He told her about all the bad things that Mum and Dad had told him too. She just laughed and said that they were all lies. He didn't like Andy saying that Mum and Dad were liars. He hadnt talked to her for a week after that.

But maybe Andy was right. Maybe Mum and Dad just had never met nice Muggles before. He really liked this Muggle girl. Maybe he could marry her when they became older.

He was so engrossed by his thoughts that it took him a second to realize who it was when he saw his Mother walking towards him upon the path and she looked furious.

Uh oh. He was scared all of a sudden. Mum had her wand out and she only did that when he was in really big trouble.

"Where were you, Sirius? All this time I've been looking for you, so worri-!"

She cut herself off when she saw the sight of Ellie.

Suddenly, her tone changed to a deadly cold whisper.

"Who is this?, she asked threateningly.

"She's my new friend", Sirius explained. "Sh-"

"Is she a Muggle?". There was a dangerous glint in her eye.

"Yes, but Mum, she's very nice. Sh-"

He was stopped when his mother took her wand out and cast a spell directed towards her. _Obliviate!_

"Mum, what did you do? Ellie's really nice!", he shouted

His mother's glare turned towards him.

"You will never ever talk to a Muggle girl again, do you understand me, Sirius Black? Do you understand me?!"

"But Mum! Ellie didn't do anything-!"

"That's enough!", she shouted and pointed her wand at the little girl. A moment later, the girl fell to her knees as her legs were tied up in some unidentifiable curse. Her knees were scratched and a small line of blood appeared where the cut was really deep. The girl started to cry.

"Mum!", Sirius shouted, outraged.

"I said, that's ENOUGH!" Walburga Black screamed as she lost her temper and dragged the boy along with her by his ear.

As Sirius looked back at the little Muggle girl crying, he started to cry too, and made up his mind to _never_ forgive his mother.

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Please review! I would absolutely love it if you give ideas for the next chapter! :) updates every Saturday (IST)!


	2. The Dragon's Grief

"You do know that you don't have to marry me, right?"

"I know", she replied simply.

"Then why are you agreeing to it?", he asked bluntly.

She thought for a moment and the answered, "My parents were cautious enough to not choose sides during the war. That's why the Greengrass name still holds its value even if it was never as great as the Malfoys. If I marry you, It would be lending you an air of credibility again in the Wizarding World. And if you've forgotten, we've been betrothed since the age of three."

He looked at her intently for a moment and then replied, "You know that wizarding betrothals aren't worth a penny on paper. The war is over. You can choose who you want to marry. You're no longer stuck to me."

She looked at her hands for a moment and then said, "Daphne always spoke highly of you. I think you deserve a second chance and I'm able to give it you. You've changed, Draco. I can see it. And so should everyone else."

Draco shook his head, perplexed why this girl would want to marry him even after her lost his name, status, and almost half his fortune.

"If you think I'm doing this only for selfish reasons, you're wrong. I'm doing this for my mother. She would have been happy to see me married to you just like she always planned."

Astoria nodded.

He turned and started to walk away. After a couple of steps away, he added, almost like an afterthought, "Thank you."

She looked as his figure retreated into the shadows.

Her father would have been happier if she had decided to marry someone else. These days, marrying a Muggleborn was far better than marrying a pure blood with a history like Draco's. He would have annulled the betrothal in a second had she said a word and the only reason he hadn't done so already was because he was usually a man of his word.

Astoria seemed to be willing and so her old man kept quiet.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The wedding had been quiet and only close family and friends of the Greengrasses had attended. Lucius Malfoy was still in Azkaban and Narcissa Malfoy had passed away two years ago. It had been five years since the war had ended but the memory of it was etched on everyone's minds or at least everyone who had witnessed that horrific night at Hogwarts.

Both the bride and the groom had decided not to opt for a honeymoon, with both agreeing that it was not appropriate.

They were now settling into a house in the suburbs of London. Though it was quite average in size, it was a lot smaller than either had been used to before. They didn't mind too much though, especially Draco. He didn't miss the old mansion particularly. Malfoy Manor was still standing but Draco avoided going back there at all costs.

Astoria, Draco, and the house-elf Muffy were unpacking boxes. House-elves could now, work of their own free will though they never took wages. Muffy was Astoria's personal house-elf ever since she was a newborn and the house-elf wouldn't hear of leaving her mistress after the wedding.

That night after they magically assembled the bed in the master bedroom, Astoria and Draco went to sleep, both careful to maintain distance between themselves.

Astoria woke once to the sound of Draco quietly moaning, "Please no! Plea-" and was about to wake him when he stopped speaking and rolled over to his other side. She fell back asleep quickly.

OoOoOoO

The first month passed by slowly, but after that they fell into a routine. Draco was still looking for work and Astoria worked as the head witch at a local potion-brewing workplace. She directed a group of wizards and witches as they brewed potions as per other wizards' demands as not everyone had the technical skill or time to brew what they needed.

Though neither had to work for a living, the Greengrass fortune, even when split amongst the sisters, was quite large, the need to feel occupied drove them to look for work.

Muffy looked after them and made them meals as they both did their own business. Astoria did try to make an effort to involve herself with Draco more often but whenever she would try to interact with the tall blond man, she would often feel like a stranger knocking on a turtle's shell. The reserved man who was her husband was a very different person from that cocky Slytherin that used to roam the halls of Hogwarts.

After much effort, she decided that he would have to let he Rin first before she could do anything.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was like any other day when she got back home from work but when she got home, she could sense something was off. Muffy was in holiday for the week, wanting to visit her daughter, Tuffy and the house was quiet. Unnaturally quiet.

Astoria headed up the stairs to find out where Draco was when she heard them. Dry, racking, sobs. She had never heard a man cry before and so when she was confronted with the noise, she was at a loss for a short while.

The sounds were coming through the bedroom door and it was obvious who it was. Hesitating for a moment with herself, she pushed open the door.

Draco was sitting on the floor with his back against the bed crying. She immediately went over to him and sat down beside him and started to rub his back, making soothing sounds.

"What's the matter, Draco?"

There was a beat of silence and then he opened his mouth. "I see their faces...every night", he confessed, the tears still streaming down his face.

Astoria was bewildered. She had no idea that he was still going through this much pain.

"I was the one who had to bring them water and food every day...the prisoners...they would beg ...plead...to let them escape...and I didn't do anything...because I was a coward", he continued.

She brought his head onto her shoulder and started to murmur, "Shh, shhh, it's alright, you had no choice"

He shook his head violently. "No...I always had a choice...and I took the cowards way out! It's all my fault that they're dead...all my fault!", he sobbed.

She turned his head towards her. "It's not your fault! You would have died if you had helped them. No one blames you anymore. You were never a true Death Eater, remember that. And you've become a changed man."

He still kept shaking his head in distress.

She was silent for a moment and then asked him, "If I could find a way to relieve your guilt, would you listen to me?"

He nodded looking at her with teary eyes.

"Then I'll take you someplace tomorrow."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They had apparated onto a small side street near a busy town. They were near Hogsmeade and Astoria immediately took Draco's hand and led him towards the main road upon which they walked for about a quarter kilometre before they stopped in front of a large cemetery.

The sign read, "The Fallen Of The Second Wizarding War), which of course could only be seen to wizards.

Draco stared. He had never been here before, though he had heard about it, partially because he feared they would throw him out if he ever actually appeared.

Astoria took his hand and led him inside.

They were rows of rows of gravestones, each one being different from the other, but the fact that they had fallen for a common cause uniting them in their death. There were familiar names, both young and old, alike, laid side by side. Some had daisies placed upon their graves.

Astoria conjured up a bunch of white roses and handed them to Draco. She knew what he needed to do.

He took the flowers and started to go to each grave. He kneeled down at each, read the name, murmured a sorry, and held his head down in silence as a mark of respect. He stopped longer at names he had known with Astoria conjuring up flowers whenever he had needed.

It took him two hours to reach every grave but it was what he sorely needed. When he reached Colin Creevey's tombstone, he left the whole bouquet of roses on his grave.

Astoria watched as her husband came to terms with his guilt. When he was done, he stood up and dusted himself. He looked around once more, and then took Astoria's hand and led her outside.

He stopped outside the cemetery gate and stood facing Astoria. He pulled her in for a hug and whispered, "Thank you," placing a kiss on her forehead as he released her. They were later seen to be holding hands as they walked down the road again.

It was the beginning of Draco's recovery.

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	3. A Meeting In The Forest

A girl with long straggly blond hair was sitting by the other edge of the meadow. Her hair fell down her back and the ends pooled on the ground. A pink flower was stuck over her ear and her earrings were curiously petal shaped.

He stopped at the sight of her. He hadn't expected anyone to be here. He had been visiting this meadow every day for the past week in order to catch a glimpse of an elusive magical creature that had been spotted in the forest recently and every day since, this meadow had been secluded.

The girl was facing away from him such that he could only see part of her profile. He took a step forward, his leg crunching on a branch and alerting the girl to his presence.

She turned around at the noise. Although she should have been startled by all means, her expression was calm and was as though as it was questioning.

He cleared his throat and started to speak, "Uh...hullo." He paused for want of things to say.

She started to speak." Are you a magizoologist too?"

He looked surprised. He hadn't told anyone about his current project and, by all accounts, he was attending a wizard naturalist conference in Albania.

"Yes. Yes, I am. Are you here on an expedition?"

"I would hardly call it an expedition to wander into a small forest in Martfeyette." Her expression was still perfectly untroubled a she replied.

"I'm sorry. You're right." The man looked slightly embarrassed. "But you implied that you were a magizoologist too..."

"Did I?", the girl replied. She turned her head to look at a tree upon which birds were building a nest. "I'm not a magizoologist...I'm a discoverer of new species." She said it as though she really believed it.

"Excuse me?", the man asked. He was confused by this girl that he had found but she had this charming air about her that just made him want to learn more about her.

"Ever heard of the Siatrs?"

"I'm sorry, no?"

"They're shy little creatures scared of the wind. They hide in trees and don't come out unless it is perfectly still outside. I'm here to find one."

"Siatrs? I've never heard of them before..."

"That's not unusual. People think they're pieces of imagination just because they've never seen one before."

For some reason, the tall freckled man decided to humour this dainty woman that he had just met even though he highly doubted there were such things as Siatrs.

"Well... I guess people shouldn't be so close-minded about such things then..", he said.

She smiled at him. "No. They shouldn't be...", she agreed. "Come sit down next to me", she asked taking him off his guard and patting the piece of ground next to her. He hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to her.

"You're looking for something too, aren't you?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. The creature I'm looking for has been recently sighted here."

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment. "They usually appear when you're not looking for them", she said wisely.

The man sighed and was about to speak when she put a finger against her lips. "Don't speak. The Siatrys are scared of humans."

He obeyed and they sat for some time in companionable silence. She had this aura about her that instantly made him comfortable. Like as if he was at home. At peace. The evening sun shone upon them as they sat.

After maybe forty minutes had passed, he rose to get up. He would come try again another day.

As he dusted off his pants, she raised one of her hands out to let him help her to her feet, which he promptly did. She gracefully rose.

"I have to go. It's getting late", he said.

"You'll come tomorrow, won't you?". It wasnt a question, more like a statement.

He nodded.

"Will I see you here?", he asked.

The girl seemed to think for a moment and then replied, "Maybe."

They started to walk together towards the edge of the meadow. "I didn't ask your name?"

"It's Luna", the girl replied. "And you're a Scamander", she said. Again a statement, not a question.

He looked slightly taken aback. "How did you know?"

"My father once showed me a picture of your grandfather. You look a lot like him", she said.

"So I've been told many a times...", he replied with a smile. "My name's Rolf. Rolf Scamandar."

"Well, Scamandar, look there", she pointed suddenly through an opening of some bushes.

He turned his neck to look that side and was astonished at what met his sight.

A semi transparent woman like figure was sitting by the base of a tree and combing her hair with a thorny branch. Her arms were long and brown and her torso was wrapped in what looked like bark. She was beautiful but in a sense of the ethereal. She was humming to herself but stopped abruptly when she saw the sight of the two humans. She vanished in a second, her movements too fast for the human eye.

The man was speechless for a moment. "It's a dryad!", he breathed. "It was what I was looking for!"

"They're also known as Siatyrs, you know", she replied matter-of-factly, resuming her pace through the undergrowth.

He hurried after her. "You've seen them before?", he asked.

"Oh yes", she replied. "You're not supposed to try to look for them. They can sense it and they get frightened."

"How do you know all of this?"

"It's the way of life", she said calmly, now looking into his eyes. "Often, the most beautiful things appear when you're not trying to find them. Then, they stumble upon your path."

Looking at the girl in front of him with her clear blue eyes and soothing presence upon him, he couldn't have agreed more.

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	4. Fred, George, and Verity

Fred and George were tired and bored.

It had been three months since they opened up the doors of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and business couldn't be better. Everyone seemed to be in need of a laugh during these dark times and their trade was flourishing. In fact, it had come to the point where they needed someone to help them out. An assistant.

And that was why they were sitting in the back of their of shop in their joint office interviewing job applicants who were sitting on stools outside. Of course, when they had first put out a classified ad in the Quibbler (No one read the Daily Prophet anymore) , they hadnt expected such a reaction. They ha

D underestimated just how ,may people would show up and that was why they were sitting down to interview their 234th applicant after a short break. The job market was in shambles and and job seekers had come in hordes to their front doors.

You would think that with such a large number of applicants, they would have found someone suitable but that wasnt the case. Some of them were harried old men who looked like they would faint at a sound of a rubber chicken; others were disapproving matrons who turned up their noses at some of the product labels and who were only present because of desperation. A few applicants came here in the hope that the merchandise would be left unguarded and were heavily disappointed when they saw the Anti-Thief charms cast upon the shelves. There was even one Ministry official who was disguising himself, obviously in an attempt to get closer and spy to the Weasley's. Fred and George kicked that one out themselves.

In short, they hadnt found someone suitable yet.

Fred tried to stifle a yawn as a short young woman with a shock of blond hair sat down in front of them. He held out the list and started to rattle out the customary questions.

"Name?"

"Verity Vanhousen."

"Age?"

"19"

"Previous profession?"

"Worked as an apothecary's assistant in Kent."

"Any illegal/dangerous/insane hobbies you would like to inform us about?"

"Nope."

"Why would you like to work in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."

"I need a job and I have useful skills."

"They all say the same.", muttered George under his breath.

Verity glared at him.

"What type of useful skills?", asked Fred with a bored expression.

"I can make highly effective love potions."

The boys sat a bit straighter at this.

"You mean Amortentia?", asked George. The shop still didn't stock love potions, not because the idea hadnt occurred yet but because it was simply too time consuming and expensive to brew Amortentia on an industrial scale.

"No. Amortentia can't be brewed in large batches. The love potions I am talking about are of my own creation. They are easy to brew, cheap, and last longer than Amortentia."

"Then why don't you just brew it yourself and sell it. Why come to us with it?"

"Because no-one would buy love potions from a shady 19 year old unless it was to sell the, again under their names. You provide credibility."

"You do realize that we have to test them?", asked George.

"Yes. But I assure they've already been tested multiple times by myself, answered Verity.

"Multiple times?", asked Fred, intrigued.

"Multiple times", answered Verity this time giving a sly grin.

George clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Okay, then. That settles it. If you could only give us a live demonstration?", he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Upon who?", asked Verity readily taking out a small vial full of bright purple liquid. The twins looked mildly impressed.

Fred looked outside his door and pointed at a young man dressed in a green pullover. "That chap over there. He looks like he needs cheering up.", he pointed.

Verity took a glance at him and took the coffee in front of her and poured the liquid into it before leaving the room.

Fred and George watched curiously through the glass windows of their office. Verity handed the cup of coffee to the man with a smile and was making small talk to him when the tell-tale glazing of eyes took place after he took a sip.

Verity whispered something to him and turned around to walk back got office, with the man following after her like a lost puppy. She opened the door and walked in with the stranger behind her.

Glazed eyes.

Faraway look.

Open mouth.

Drooping wrists.

Oh, it was working all right and the twins exchanged a meaningful glance.

"How long did you say it would last?"

"They're of different potencies. The one I gave this chap here will last for a half hour. The other types I make can last from an hour to two days."

She smiled at him as the man gallantly drew the chair for her to sit down.

Fred and George gulped. They definitely wouldn't want to cross this witch.

Verity glanced at their worried looks and asked, "Does this mean I'm in?"

OoOoOoOoO

"Take the boxes it of the storage and use them to restock the shelves."

"Yes, ."

"And make sure that the Fanged Frisbees are lined up properly."

"Yes, ."

"Feed the Pgymy Puffs as well, Verity!"

"Yes, !"

"And stop calling me !"

"Yes, ", Verity replied but this time with a grin.

"Boss, don't you think you're taking things a bit too seriously? The shop isn't going to burst into fire if you relax for a moment."

"With the type of midgets that come in here these days, it just might.", Fred grumbled under his breath. He wasn't in his customary jovial mood and that made Verity slightly worried.

She put down the pile of boxes she was carrying and dusted her hands.

"What's wrong, boss? You're acting like my mother when she hasn't gotten her afternoon nap."

Fred scowled heavily at her.

"Well, maybe it would be easier if my dearest twin was here this evening to look around the shop instead of traipsing around town with his date."

"You mean George is out with Angelina again tonight?"

Fred' scowl deepened.

"You do realize you've got to let your brother have fun, Fred. Both of you run yourselves to the ground with this shop."

"He...can...have...his...fun..with...someone else.", Fred ground out.

Verity's eyebrows rose. "Is this jealousy I hear?"

"No, of course not, I'm perfectly happy for my brother", he denied with a sour expression.

Verity smirked. "You know what, boss, you need to get out more often."

Fred narrowed his eyes at her as she turned the shop's sign to the "CLOSED" side, took his wrist, and dragged him out.

"You and I are going to a pub tonight."

oOoOoOoOoOoO

It was one in the morning before they reached back to the shop.

George was waiting for them. They were quite a sight as they walked in. Verity was clutching to Fred for support as he was whispering something in her ear, both of them hilariously drunk.

"Where were you two? Ange and I got back two hours ago and you should've seen the looks on our faces when we saw that both of you weren't here! Fr all we knew, you could have been kidnapped"

Verity clapped a hand on George's shoulder.

"Relax Georgie, we were finnnnneee. You should stop worrying so much, you'll get wrinkles", she slurred and hiccuped.

Fred giggled at that. "Yeah, Georgie, you'll get wrinkles!". He started to laugh maniacally.

George clapped his hand to his forehead in frustration. The two were too drunk to listen to what he said so he proceeded to steer them into their respective beds at the back of their shop.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Verity yawned as she stepped into the main shop. She found Fred and headed straight towards him. Well, as straight as she could at any rate. She had a first-class hangover.

She stopped in front of Fred and opened her mouth to speak. "About last night-"

She was interrupted by Fred. "I had a great time and we should do it again". He smiled at her looking down on her small frame.

Verity gaped. This wasnt the reaction she was expecting. Then again, it was Fred.

"How about next week, again?"

She could simply nod and quickly walk away to start on the days' work.

OoOoOoOoOo

The two were out on their weekly date (if you could call it that; they themselves weren't very sure) and were just getting back.

They never got so drunk as they first did but the night wouldn't be complete without a drink or two.

Over the past year, they had gotten to know each other like the back of their hands and it had come to the point where even George was slightly jealous of how Fred was so comfortable with Verity. They chatted like old friends and knew each other's deepest secrets.

It took a lot of courage for Fred to tell her his deepest fear of being unloved but he found an understand companion in Verity as she reciprocated by telling him how her little brother died by drowning when she was eight and how she used to blame herself for a very long time afterwards.

That marked the turning point in their relationship and from then on, it would be impossible to find a person with whom either would be more comfortable with.

Fred fumbled with the door as he tried to get the key from his pocket wothout much success. After a half minute in vain, Verity put her hand in to fish it out and handed it to him.

"Here you go, ", she said teasingly and walked throught the door after he unlocked it.

"Well, then goodnight", she said as she turned back before heading to her room.

She was stopped as a hand encircled around her wrist. She looked at Fred expectantly.

Fred's life had changed a lot in the past year. He felt happier than he had even been before and he knew for sure that that couldn't be attributed to Voldemort's rise to power. It was a big shock when he realised just what it was that had brought about such a change in his emotions and tonight, he was ready to tell Verity.

He was silent for a beat.

"Verity...I've wanted to tell you this for a long while...I...it's that...", he trailed off.

Verity coughed.

"...I've fallen in love with you", he blurted before he could regret it. Verity acted instinctively.

She pulled him in for a kiss.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It had been two months since that night. They had only been able to spend another week with each other before the twins had to close the shop and go into hiding at their Aunt Muriel's. The times were dangerous.

Their owl correspondence was spotty as it was too risky to send letters in case they fell into the wrong hands. Even the slightest bit of information discovered by the enemy could mean your death.

She was hiding out at her aunt and uncle's farm in rural England with her mother. They were in a small rustic Muggle town, and it was the last place where the Death Eaters would check. Of course, they weren't exactly on the top of the Death Eater's hit list but Fred wanted to be assured of Verity's safety before he worried about his own.

She walked into the house after taking her customary evening stroll through the fields when she caught the expression on her mother's face. It was grimly set.

"Mum, what's the matter?"

"Hogwarts has risen in arms", her mother replied.

Verity didn't need a second thought as she quickly took her wand out and prepared to apparate. Fred would be one of the first to fight, of that she was sure.

She apparated into Hogsmeade. The castle was blazing with activity and you could hear spells and curses flying through the air.

"In here!",someone whispered. It was Aberforth who was beckoning them into the Hog's Head. He ushered her into the passageway. "Hurry! They need all the help they can get!"

Verity rushed forward through the long and narrow passage.

Her main objective was to find and protect Fred.

She stepped out of The Room Of Requirement and coughed immediately because of all the smoke. She put her hand against her mouth and moved quickly through the dark hallways.

Where was Fred?

She walked through passageway after passageway, avoiding and dodging friends and enemies alike as she tried to find the man she was looking for. She cursed a few Death Eaters along her way as well.

She had just turned the corner of the eleventh corridor she hadwalked down when she spotted him.

He was duelling alongside his older brother, which one she wasn't sure. And from the sound of the laugh that just rang through the corridor, he even seemed to be having having a good time.

Typical Fred. Verity almost shook her head.

"You're joking, Perce!"

"You actually are joking, Perce...I don't think I've heard you joke since you were- "

Verity was just about to move towards Fred when everything went wrong.

The air exploded but Verity was on the edge of it. That's why she was able to see Fred's outline fall onto the ground through the thick smoke.

Her scream went unheard through the noise.

She was on her knees, and was trying to scramble towards him when she felt a burning sensation stab right through her.

"Where do you think you're going, pretty?", snarled a Death Eater who had apparently standing behind her.

All she could think of, before she was hit by the curse that killed her, was the sound of Fred's last echoing laugh.


	5. The Leaky Cauldron: Hannah and Neville

Hannah was just about to hang up her apron as the clock struck 12. The Leaky Cauldron was empty, in itself quite rare, and Tom, in a fit of generosity, had decided to let the bar employees go an hour early.

Hannah knew she was quite lucky. Tom was a darling and she had always loved the bustling atmosphere of the Leak Cauldron as a young child and to find a job there to help pay for the Healing Courses at was quite fortunate for her. She could have done a lot worse, working at some shady inn or another along the many side streets of Diagon Alley.

The door swung open and a man's silhouette showed through the doorway. The other bartender working with her had already left, so with a sigh did Hannah put on her apron again to attend to this lonely patron.

"What would you like, mister?", she asked. As she raised her eyes to take a look at who it was, she gave a gasp of surprise.

"Neville!"

The tall, lean man standing across from her gave a grin as he took a seat on one of the stools.

"Hullo Hannah. Macmillan told me you were working shifts here so I thought I'd come to say hi"

"That's funny. Ernie never told me that he had come across you."

"That's because I only met him today.", replied Neville with a smile.

"Its been such a long time! What on earth have you been up to?", gushed Hannah.

Neville gave a sigh. "I'm actually still looking for job. Gran's breathing on my neck to make myself useful. The problem is that the job market has been awful ever since the War and there aren't many positions available for Herbology Tutors. Gran's trying to push me to take up Auror Training but I keep telling her that I've had enough with fighting Dark Magic for a lifetime. It's simply not something that I would want to do for a living."

Hannah nodded sympathetically. Neville shook his head as if to clear it of all those unpleasant thoughts.

"So tell me, what have _you _been up to, ? Never took you for a bartender type", he commented with an eyebrow raised.

Hannah laughed. "It's only to pay for Healer Training. But I have to say, I do love working here."

Neville smiled, "That's nice."

The two friends chatted until they realized how late it was.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

2 weeks later...

"Neville", Hannah greeted him with a smile. "I was hoping I'd come across you again."

"Hi Hannah. What's up?

"I found out from...let's just say..._a source_...that Hogwarts has an opening in the Herbology department", she gushed.

"That's great, Hannah! Is Professor Sprout looking for an assistant?"

"Not exactly. Professor Sprout is retiring meaning they're looking for a replacement". She beamed as she spoke.

Neville's smile fell. "Oh."

"What's the matter?". Her expression grew clouded.

"There's no way they'll hire me."

"And why not?"

"Because I have no experience teaching yet."

"That's ridiculous! You got an O in your NEWT while I got a stinking A."

"That might be so but grades aren't the only thing they look at", said Neville grimly.

"Well, you could ask Professor Sprout for a reccomendation. Surely, the Board of Governors would listen to that.", Hannah suggested.

Neville hesitated. "I wouldn't want to trouble her..."

**OoOoOoOo**

Hannah was wiping down tables when suddenly a pair of arms took ahold of her from behind and swept her off her feet. She was thrown into a fit of giggles as she looked behind to see who it was.

It was Neville with a grin on his face that she could have sworn was a mile wide.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

Hannah decided to play clueless.

"What do you mean?"

Neville suddenly looked slightly confused.

"It was you, wasn't it? Who sent a letter to Professor Sprout?"

"Me?"

Neville looked crestfallen and then embarassed as he recollected his previous action.

"Oh, so it wasn't you?", he said in a much quieter voice.

Hannah couldn't bear it. She broke out laughing. "Yes, yes it was me!". The smile returned as fast as lightning to his face. "Well I had to, didn't I? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let you miss an opportunity like this."

"I really don't know how grateful I am. I was a fool to have not written a letter myself and missed out on this chance. Thank you so much again for sending it for me! Professor Sprout sent me a lengthy reply and a day later I got an invitationfrom the Board of Governors to take up the post! _An invitation!_". He looked positively overjoyed.

"Well, you're welcome. And they would've been fools not to hire you. Now, how about some ice-cream now? It's my break.", offered Hannah with a smile.

Neville held out the door for her and followed her outside.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

4 _months later..._

A man steps into the Leaky Cauldron at noon and heads towards a pretty blond girl at the counter.

"Hey Neville! Break time at Hogwarts has started already? I must be losing track of the time."

"Yes it has. I must say it's a relief to get a holiday." Neville let out a sigh as he sat down.

"The kiddos bothering you too much?"

"No, no, they're darlings, but the things they write in their essay assignments...". Neville shook his head as he trailed off.

Hannah laughed out loud. "I think you're paying off your karma for all the rubbish stories we used to write for Divination"

"It feels like I'm paying off the collection karma of our whole year-group." Hannah laughed out even louder at this.

"So what have you been upto during the time I've been away?"

"Studying. Healer training is killer." Neville made a sympathetic sound.

"Well, would you be able to take a small break this evening to go out for dinner with me?" He sounded casual but his eyes betrayed how nervous he was about the question.

Hannah pretended to think. "Well...John's taking me out at 5 and Peter said he would come around at 6:30, not to mention the concert that Jack was going take me to at 8 so I just might be able to fit you in at-"

Neville first became heavily disappointed and then cried out, "Hey!", after he realized she was joking.

Hannah laughed again. A beautiful laugh, in Neville's opinion.

"Pick me up at 7", asked Hannah.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_The day after New Year's..._

Hannah was twiddling with her thumbs. It was time for Neville to leave and he stopped at the Leaky Cauldron to say be before he left for Hogwarts again.

"So you're leaving, huh?"

"I have to, Hannah. I have a job", reminded Neville with a small smile.

Hannah didn't know why she felt so disappointed. The past two weeks were the highlight of her whole year with Neville taking her somewhere new everyday but she knew it had to end at one pint.

Hannah nodded. She lifted her head up and tried to smile.

"I'll write tons of letters, if you want", offered Neville.

Hannah nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, then, goodbye."

"Goodbye", she replied.

He gave her a hug before walking over to the fireplace. He turned back before dropping his luggage over and striding over to Hannah. He tilted her head and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Hannah's head swam but it was over before she knew it. He walked back to the fireplace, looking back at her one more time before vanishing into it.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

_6 months later..._

"Guess who it is!", sang Neville in a sing-song voice. His hands were currently blindfolding Hannah.

"Ooooh, is it the Bogeyman?"

"Aw, come on Hannah!"

"I know its you, Neville! For the past month, you've pretty much been counting down the days to the time when school would end."

Neville false sniffled. "I didn't think it was that obvious", he said in a haughty voice.

Hannah punched his shoulder and he gave out an exagerrated cry of pain.

"You wound me, fair maiden! My arm may not be the same again!"

Hannah rolled her eyes and laughed.

"So where are we going to this evening?"

**OoOoOoOoOoOooooo**

It was nearly September again and Neville had his head on Hannah's lap as she stroked his hair. They were sitting on a lawn of grass in a secluded park. The past two months had been a whirlwind and a sweeter romance than the one between the two would have been harder to find.

"What are you thinking about, love?", asked Neville seeing the scrunched-up-in-thought expression on Hannah's face. She hesitated before telling him slowly.

"Well, you see Tom's getting old...and he's not able to take care of things like he used to..." Neville didn't see where this was going.

Hannah came to the point. "He's offered up the Leaky Cauldron to me for sale."

Neville sat up. "But that's great!"

Hannah apparently didn't think so.

"What's the problem, then?"

"To buy it, I would have to give up my savings for Healer Training but I couldn't bear to let the Leaky Cauldron fall into some wealthy wizard's hands who doesn't care two-pence about it."

"I'll fund it for you if you want", offered Neville.

"Even if I did get the money for it, I would have to give up Healer Training anyway because it would take up all my time. My head tells me not to waste the last two years of my life which I spent studying to become a Healer but my heart tells me to take up the offer on the establishment that's now become like my second home. Plus, I couldn't possibly take your money."

"You could if we were married", Neville murmured quietly.

Hannah's head snapped towards him at this.

Neville stood up, pulled up Hannah as well, and then knelt in front of her. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a simple golden band with intricate carvings around it.

Hannah's hands were at her mouth already.

"Hannah Abbott, will you marry me?"


	6. A Scottish Summer

It was sunset slowing turning into dusk but neither of the two young people lying on a ploughed field in the small town of Edvillemon on the outskirts of Caithness in the Scottish Highlands were paying attention.

The year was 1954 and it had been a memorable summer for Minerva McGonagall, without doubt the best one she ever had and no small part of it was due to young man next to her, Douglas McGregor, son of local farmer, and the boy who had captured her heart.

They had started to watch the clouds roll by in the late afternoon and were still remaining when the sun started to go down leaving shadows behind it. Their game of making shapes out of the clouds had turned into a serious conversation about their futures.

"Minnie, what will you do once you go back to London?" The McGregor boy asked.

Minerva took her time to reply. She had, in fact, been offered a position at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after the summer finished. It was a pleasant surprise to find the Ministry Official present at her Hogwarts graduation wanting to speak with her. It was a honour to be asked to join the Ministry, especially in the Law Enforcement department straight out of Hogwarts, and Minerva McGonagall had accepted the offer immediately.

However she couldn't exactly blurt all of that out to Doug, no matter how much she trusted him. The International Statue of Secrecy definitely prevented although Minerva had been tempted to break it not for the first time since summer had started.

She hesitated and then replied, " You do know that I'm returning to London after the summer, Doug. My friend's father has promised me a job with his firm and plan to join them as an intern."

It was partially true. After all, she was returning to London that autumn and it was simply safer for Doug to think that she was going to train as a chartered accountant.

Doug sat up suddenly. He took a stone next to him and threw it into the distance. The expression on his face revealed his agitation. He turned to face her abruptly.

"What will happen to us, Minnie?" He asked.

Minerva was thrown off her guard. "Us? What do you mean? I'll be going to London, and you'll be here and we'll meet again..."

"No, Minnie. You know that's not what I meant. Don't tell me you haven't felt what I felt this summer." He looked imploringly into her eyes, startling her with the intensity of his look.

This was the question that Minerva had been dreading all along. What would happen to them. She would be lying through her teeth to deny that she liked Doug more than just a friend and she couldn't help but feel lonely at the thought of leaving him in another two weeks.

She stumbled. "Well...we...". Doug wasn't in such a serious mood often. It was a quite a change to see him inot in his usual light carefree mood.

"Minnie, I'm going to ask you a question. I need you to answer it truthfully. "

"Do you love me?"

Minerva didn't hesitate to decide her answer but since words couldn't come out, she simply nodded instead.

That seemed to be all the encouragement that Dougal McGregor needed. "Minerva McGonagall, will you marry me?"

The air itself seemed to stand still for a moment and the Minerva replied in one breath, her heart working faster than her brain, "Yes."

Doug let out a whoop and proceeded to carry Minerva into his arms and kiss her. She started to giggle and the two were the picture of sweet young love.

When she was finally out down and the euphoria had faded, and she was walking along the rough path to her house after she kissed Doug goodbye, she wondered why she had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

The man she was in love with had just proposed to her and she had accepted. They would be happy. But why wasnt she?

She continued to think these thoughts while she tried to fall asleep on her grey four poster bed in the attic of her family's small farm house. She tousled and turned but she couldn't keep these thoughts at bay. So she gave into them instead.

She loved Doug. There was no doubt about that. He was smart, funny, and had that certain amount of charm that she never seemed to be able to find in Hogwarts. Or maybe she had never looked because she was so preoccupied with her studies.

Life with him would be like a pleasant dream. But it would also mean that she would have to let her magical career go before it had even started. Minerva realised that this was what was bothering her the whole time.

She was an ambitious young girl. She could afford to be, with being the brightest student to pass the halls of Hogwarts in at least a decade and suddenly, the thought of leaving all that behind made her miserable. It wasn't that she would just have to let her career go, she would have to say goodbye to her magic as well.

Doug was a Muggle and there was absolutely no way he could be allowed to know of magic.

She took her wand in her fingers and twirled it around. She remembered when she had first gone to get it. It was her first time in Diagon Alley and her mum was almost as excited as her to step back into the magical world.

Her mother was a pure blood witch but she had left her family, friends, and her magic behind to marry Minerva's father. Minerva knew that she was happy with her choice, but it would take a fool not to notice the longing in her mother's eyes everytime she went to say goodbye to her before leaving for Hogwarts. Everytime she took her books out in the summer, even if it was just to do homework. Everytime she took her wand and cast even the most simplest of spell.

Minerva realised with a jolt that there was absolutely no way that she would let what happened to her mother happen to herself. To cut herself off from the magical world and her friends and shut the door on her career. To live to see her children go to Hogwarts and feeling proud and jealous at the same time.

No. She would not let that happen. In spite the consequences.

She loved Doug. She truly did. And suddenly the thought of the inevitable which would happen tomorow left her in tears.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was done. It was all over. She had gone over to Doug that morning and told him that she took back her consent and refused to marry him.

The look on his face was heartbreaking. Minerva was speaking through her tears during the whole scene.

He had demanded to know why, as most people would, but she was left without an answer to give. Either she would have to break the International Statue of Secrecy or she'd have to break his heart and her own in the process.

She left soon after leaving him sitting in the ground liked a dazed man, tears rolling down both cheeks. It was the first time she had seen him cry but she didn't stay to watch much longer.

She hurried back home, walked up the stairs to the attic, shut the door, and slid down to her feet on the ground and proceeded to cry her heart out.

After a while, she collected herself, and decided upon what had to be done. She quickly gathered her belongings and levitated them into her trunk, and took all her possessions from the room. As she walked down into the living room, she tore a piece of paper from the notepad on the table and wrote down a note for her mother.

_Dear Mum,_

_I have decided to return to London immediately instead of in another week, as we had planned before. Please don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You might hear rumours about why I'm leaving so suddenly. I'm afraid they might be true. I promise I will tell you what happened through owl post but right now I need to clear my head. You'll understand, won't you?_

_Send my love to papa,_

_-Minnie_

A tear stained her signature but Minerva decided to let that be. She took one last glance around the living room before gathering her things and apparating with a pop.

She landed in a lonely alley off a street of London and put her wand arm out for the Knight Bus to take her to a friend's place.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was 28 years later from that fateful summer day and the year was 1982. Minerva McGonagall was a lot older and wiser than she had been at the tender age of nineteen and she had faced a lot more of life's heartbreaks since then.

The Potters had died earlier that year leaving their only son, Harry surviving. The war was over, for now, and peace finally seemed to settle. Her own parents had died much earlier and the old farmhouse was now occupied by another family, Minerva long deciding to sell it as it had no use for her.

She often wondered what happened to house since but that was not the purpose of her visit to her hometown.

She opened the gate of the village cemetery and proceeded to one of the small marble tombstones near the corner. She had already conjured red carnations and was holding them in her hand. She placed them upon the grave.

The tomb read:

_Dougal McGregor_

_1933-1981_

_Survived by his wife Joanna McGregor and his two daughters, Lyanna and Rachel._

_A loving husband and a doting father. Always will be remembered._

She took a sad glance at the tombstone and then spun on the spot, disappearing into thin air. She had always loved him.

* * *

**A/N: Im sorry about the slight delay. Just to let you know, Im planning to leave this fic after ten chapters in order to work on anew story and to finish up my previous "The Blond and The Ginger". Im also kinda running out of ideas and it would be awesome if one of you came up with something for next week. :)**

**Oh and please review!**


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